


Stocking

by Diaryofanarcissisticgayman



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Adoption, But this one is about Niall's relationship with their foster son, I cried like- 4 times while writing this, Kid Fic, M/M, Niall is a good dad, The world's shittiest Narry kid fic, Trust Issues, so is Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:34:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8839501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diaryofanarcissisticgayman/pseuds/Diaryofanarcissisticgayman
Summary: Max doesn't want to participate in the family traditions.





	

“Max, buddy- Are you feeling alright?” Niall asks, catching his son by the elbow and stopping them while Harry and Erin keep walking and talking. Harry gives him a glance over his shoulder, but nods at Niall in understanding after a second.

“This is stupid.” Max mutters.

“It’s a tradition.” Niall says with a shrug.

“I don’t want to do it.” Max huffs, scuffing the toes of his boot on the ground. “I want to go home.”

“There’s just a few houses left, bud.” Niall points out.

“I’m not singing anymore.” Max says, glaring at Niall with the kind of adamancy only a twelve year old could pull off. “It’s cold, and I don’t want to.”

“Alright.” Niall nods. “Let’s go back home, yeah? Papa and Erin can finish this off without us. Of course, that means we’re going to have to fend for ourselves with whatever is in the fridge, because we were all supposed to be going to dinner after this.”

“You’re not mad?” Max asks tentatively, looking up at Niall with wide eyes.

“Nope.” Niall says with a shrug. “If you don’t want to do this, I’m not going to force you to. And I don’t want you just sitting in the car alone while we finish it up, so the two of us can just head on home instead.”

“But what about the tradition?” Max asks. “You guys have traditions. Aren’t you mad that I’m taking you away from that?”

“Maybe the two of us can start a new tradition.” Niall offers. “We could like- Accompany papa and Erin on the first half, then split up for the second half, just the two of us. We can figure out something once we’re home. But we really need to start heading back if that’s what you want to do, because I’m going to turn into an icicle if we keep standing here like this.”

“Thanks, Niall.” Max says quietly, taking his hand.

“No problem, buddy.” Niall chuckles, using his other hand to tap out a message to Harry explaining what’s happened as they walk.

 

“Okay, so- Pretending to be Tom Cruise and slide around in our pants, shirts and socks is not going to be our Christmas tradition.” Niall sighs, wiping at the scrape on his thigh with the warm, wet flannel. “And I think that we need to figure out something else to eat next year, because pizza tacos are better in theory than in practice. Stupid acid-reflux.”

“Sorry.” Max mutters.

“Not your fault, bud.” Niall hums, ruffling his free hand through Max’s hair. “I should have known better than to put all those extra onions on mine. And the sausage, and the cheese, and the salsa. I get carried away when papa’s not here to gripe at me to keep on my diet.”

“I ruined the whole night for you twice.” Max mumbles, sinking down to the floor so that his back is pressed against the cupboard and his face is tucked into his knees where he’s holding them against his chest. “I ruined your tradition, and I ruined our new one.”

“Hey-” Niall says gently, dropping his flannel in the sink and crouching down next to Max. “You haven’t ruined anything, bud. Not a single thing. I promise.”

“You guys have your own traditions with your real kid.” Max sniffles. “I’m not a part of those.”

“Max-” Niall sighs.

“I’m not!” Max yells, clambering to his feet and running past Niall out the door. Niall tries to follow him, but the scrape on his thigh burns and prevents him from moving fast enough to get there before Max slams his door shut and the sound of the lock clicks through the house like a gun being cocked.

When they’d gotten the news that they were going to be fostering Max, they’d decided to move to a bigger house. Harry and Niall both agreed that it was important for Max to be able to lock his door, not only because he was around ‘that’ age, and they didn’t want to walk in on something, but because they both felt that Max having his privacy was an important thing. Niall regrets the decision not to have a key to the damn thing now.

“Max- Buddy- Please open the door.” Niall says, leaning against the wood.

“Go away!” Max calls through it.

“Max, please come talk to me.” Niall pleads. “I want to know what would make you say something like that.”

He doesn’t get a response this time, angry or otherwise. There’s just silence on the other side of the door, and that might kill Niall more than the fit. He’s used to the outbursts from Max. They’d been warned when they were given Max to foster that he had anger issues stemming from his abandonment by his parents at age five. For the most part, Max is a calm and happy kid, never a bad word to say about anything. But occasionally he gets moody. This isn’t the first time that Niall has had to deal with one of these tantrums, and he prays it won’t be the last, either.

He sits on the ground next to the door, slumping against the wall because he’s in this for the long haul. He knocks every few minutes, asking Max to come out and talk to him, but he doesn’t get any response. Max starts snoring about the time that Niall hears the front door click open, so Niall sighs and pushes himself off of the ground, heading for where his husband and daughter are taking off all of their winter gear.

“Daddy!” Erin giggles, running over to Niall and holding up a tin foil swan with a level of enthusiasm only a six year old could muster. “Look what they made me! There’s biscuits inside!”

“It’s gorgeous, love.” Niall smiles down at her. “Did you have fun caroling with papa?”

“Yeah.” Erin nods. “But I missed you and Maxie.”

“How did that go?” Harry asks tentatively, hanging up his jacket on the coat hook.

“Go get ready for bed, love.” Niall says gently, pressing a kiss to Erin’s forehead.

“That badly, huh?” Harry questions once Erin has run out of the room.

“Everything was going fine for a bit when we got home.” Niall explains, leaning against the wall. “We tried making pizza tacos, and-”

“You went overboard, didn’t you?” Harry cuts him off.

“Might have had to pop a couple antacids.” Niall admits sheepishly. “And then we decided to recreate that scene from ‘Risky Business’, and-”

“That explains the kit.” Harry snorts. “Honestly, greeting our daughter in just your pants and a shirt. Shameless.”

“Christ, will you let me talk?” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, reaching out and putting his finger over Harry’s lips. “I fell, and I scraped my hip, and then he got all withdrawn. Then he stormed off after saying that he thinks he ruined the night and that he’s not a part of our traditions with, and I quote, ‘our real kid’.”

“Shite.” Harry sighs. “What did we do wrong? I’ve been trying to make him feel included in all of these things.”

“I know, pet.” Niall assures him, moving his hand so that it’s cupping Harry’s cheek. “We both have. And I thought we were doing alright with it until tonight.”

“I thought kids were supposed to get happier around Christmas.” Harry mumbles, laying his forehead on Niall’s shoulder.

Niall’s about to reply when he hears a loud, familiar yelling down the hall. Harry snorts and Niall shakes his head, making Harry straighten up before they head towards it.

“Maxie!” Erin groans. “Open up! Now!”

“Erin, love-” Niall says gently as he gets closer. “Maxie isn’t in a very good mood right now.”

“I don’t care.” Erin huffs, slapping her open hand against the door again. “Maxie! Come here!”

The lock clicks open after that, and the door creaks open.

“What’s up, princess?” Max asks, crouching down to her level. “I was sleeping.”

“Look at my bird!” Erin beams, holding up the aluminium swan. “He’s got biscuits in him! Do you want one?”

“Of course.” Max says with an easy smile, so different than he’d been acting the last time Niall had seen him. Of course, he’s a sucker for Erin. He always does what she says, despite the fact she’s half his age. She’s got him wrapped around her finger, and he doesn’t seem to mind at all. “May I?”

“Here.” Erin giggles, opening up the back of the swan and producing a biscuit. Max holds out his hand, but she refuses to pass it over until he opens his mouth up with a barely concealed roll of his eyes. She pops it directly into his mouth, then presses a kiss to his cheek and skips off down the hall with a ‘Good night,’ thrown over her shoulder.

“Hey, bud- Can we talk?” Niall asks carefully, stepping forward just a bit.

“I’m sorry.” Max whispers, lurching forward and wrapping his arms around Niall’s waist unexpectedly. “I’m sorry, Niall. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad, buddy.” Niall murmurs, draping one arm over Max’s shoulders, and using the other to stroke his fingers through Max’s hair. “I promise, I’m not mad.”

“I’ll be better.” Max mumbles into Niall’s stomach. “I’ll be better, and you don’t have to send me back.”

“Hey-” Niall says firmly, pushing Max away with both hands so that he can kneel down in front of him and look him in the eye. “We are not sending you back. That’s not happening. It’s never even crossed our minds.”

“They always send me back around Christmas.” Max sniffles, rubbing at his eyes. “I always spend Christmas at the group home.”

“Not this time.” Niall tells him. “You’re going to be here in our home for Christmas this time. If that’s had you worried, then you don’t need to. We aren’t sending you back, Max. I promise we aren’t.”

“Thank you.” Max breathes out, falling forward against Niall’s chest and burying his face in Niall’s neck. “Thank you, Niall.”

“I love you, bud.” Niall says softly. “Go get back in bed. We’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

“Are you okay?” Max asks, fiddling with the hem of his shirt and looking down at Niall’s thigh.

“I’ve taken worse spills than that one.” Niall chuckles. “And it wasn’t your fault. It was papa’s fault, because he failed to tell me he waxed the floors.”

“I definitely told you.” Harry scoffs.

“I didn’t hear him tell me. Did you hear him tell me, Max?” Niall says with a shit eating grin.

“I didn’t hear him tell you.” Max giggles, smiling a little bit. It’s not as big as usual, but it’s enough to ease Niall’s worry for now.

“It’s time for bed.” Harry says flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Both of you.”

“Uh-oh, Harry’s in a mood.” Max hums, patting Niall on the shoulder. “Good luck with that. Night, Harry. Night, Niall.”

“Night, bud.” Niall says as Max closes the door to his room again. He stands back up to his full height, turns to Harry, and asks, “Any chance that doing a recreation of that scene from ‘Risky Business’ will get me out of trouble?”

“I’m already pulling up my Bob Seger collection.” Harry says, walking past Niall and tapping away at his mobile. “You’d better shake your arse like you mean it if you want back in my good graces.”

 

“Hey, bud-” Niall says, finding Max curled up in Niall’s chair with Harry’s tablet. He still gets pouty about not having one of his own to play with, but that’s only because he doesn’t know he’s got one in a box under the tree. Niall will just have to deal with the huffiness for one last day. “Can you come with me for a minute?”

“Can I beat this level first?” Max requests, looking up at Niall once he pauses his game.

“Go ahead.” Niall nods. “Just meet us in the kitchen afterwards, yeah?”

“I’ll be there in two minutes.” Max agrees.

He sticks to the agreement, and meets up with Niall, Harry and Erin after exactly two minutes.

“Did I do something wrong?” Max asks nervously, walking into the kitchen. “I didn’t go over on my tablet time. I kept a real good eye on it.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Max.” Harry tells him. “We’re just about to make the mince pies for Santa. We thought you’d like to help.”

“Um-” Max mumbles, shifting from foot to foot. “You guys know that I know Santa isn’t-”

“Yes.” Niall cuts him off before he can spoil things for Erin. They still have one or two years left, hopefully, and Niall wants her to keep that fantasy for as long as she can. “We figured as much.”

“What’s he talking about, papa?” Erin asks, tugging on Harry’s sleeve.

“It’s nothing, love.” Harry murmurs. “Can you go get the bag in the pantry with all the stuff for the recipe? It’s right inside the door.”

“What if it’s too big?” Erin asks.

“I’ll help.” Harry smiles down at her.

“Sorry.” Max says quietly once Erin is out of earshot. “I didn’t know that she doesn’t know. Everyone in the group homes knows from the time that they’re little.”

“It’s okay, bud.” Niall assures him. “Will you help us with it anyways?”

“I don’t know how.” Max says, kicking at the floor with his left foot while he stares down at him.

“Neither do I, really.” Niall admits. “Harry does most of the work. We just do the little things for him. The pros of having a baker for a husband.”

“I just-” Max mutters. “Do I have to?”

“We’d like it if you would, but it’s not like- A requirement.” Niall sighs. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

“I just don’t see why I should take part in another family tradition.” Max says, shaking his head.

“Because you’re family, Max.” Niall says firmly.

“No, I’m not, Niall.” Max whispers. “Maybe I’ll be here instead of the home this Christmas, but I won’t be next year. So what’s the point in doing a tradition when I won’t be part of it again?”

“Max-” Niall says gently, stepping forward. He’s not fast enough, though. Max is out of the room before his name is even off of Niall’s tongue.

Niall isn’t letting it rest this time, though. Instead he takes off after Max, using his longer gait to make up for his bum knee and scraped hip. His pain doesn’t matter at all right now, because his son is in far worse pain, and he can’t feel a thing except worry.

Max gets to his room first, closing the door and locking it just as Niall reaches it.

“Maximillian Tyler Frost, you open this door right now.” Niall says adamantly, making sure to keep any trace of anger out of his voice.

“Go away!” Max sobs through the wood.

“Max, please-” Niall says gently. “Please don’t do this. Come out here and talk to me.”

“Why?” Max asks back. “So you can send me back?”

“We aren’t sending you back.” Niall tells him. “Please come out here. I want to show you something.”

“What, the door?” Max chokes out around a sob.

“It’s something that we were saving for tomorrow, but I think we need to give it to you now.” Niall admits. “Please come out. I promise, you aren’t in any trouble, and you aren’t being sent back.”

“Why should I believe you?” Max questions.

“Because I love you, Max. And I wouldn’t lie to you about that.” Niall murmurs. “None of us want you to go anywhere. If you just come out, you’ll see.”

“What is it?” Max asks, opening up the door just enough to peek through.

“It’s downstairs.” Niall explains. “I promise- If you’re still upset afterwards, you can open all your presents tonight instead of having to wait for tomorrow.”

“And you won’t send me back?” Max asks suspiciously.

“Cross my heart.” Niall says with a nod, moving his finger over his chest. He holds his hand out, and his heart finally stops trying to beat against his ribcage like a marimba when Max takes it with his own.

“What happened?” Harry asks worriedly when Niall leads Max into the living room.

“Harry, can you get the box?” Niall requests. “We need to do this now.”

“Oh.” Harry says quietly, nodding in understanding. “Of course. Erin, love, come in here, please.”

“This is another one of our traditions.” Niall explains, taking the box when Harry hands them over. He sets it down on the table, and pulls out the contents. On top is a sparkly pink stocking with Erin’s name embroidered on it, which Niall hands to her when she runs over to him with a beaming smile. “Love, go set yours up.”

“Okay, daddy!” Erin squeals, dashing over to the fireplace. Honestly, she’s as clumsy as her father is, so Niall’s really glad that there’s no fire in it, or things could get really bad, really fast.

“Harry, can you take care of ours?” Niall asks, handing over the gold stocking with Harry’s name, and the silver one with his own.

“Alright.” Harry nods, taking them both and fixing them up on the mantle.

“My mum makes these for our family every year.” Niall tells Max, sitting down on the edge of the table. “Last year, we got you the day after Christmas, so we didn’t have time to get one of these done for you. This year, Grandma Maura made yours first. Would you like to hang it up?”

“It’s for me?” Max asks, eyes widening when Niall pulls out a blue stocking.

“It’s got your name on it and everything.” Niall chuckles. “You told her your favorite color was blue, so that’s what she’s made it in. Sorry if that’s changed since then.”

“It hasn’t.” Max says softly, holding the stocking in his hands like it’s a newborn. “But your guys’ all say our full names. Why doesn’t mine?”

“Look inside.” Niall says softly.

“It’s just a bunch of paper.” Max pouts when he eagerly removes the contents of the stocking.

“That is a petition to the court to adopt you.” Niall explains. “We want to adopt you, Max. If you want us to, that is. That’s why the stocking doesn’t say a last name. Because we’re hoping that you’ll take ours.”

“What?” Max asks breathlessly, letting the paperwork fall to the ground.

“We want you to be a full member of our family.” Harry says, sitting next to Niall on the table. “We want you to officially be our son, even though we already love you like you are. If you’re okay with it, we want to file the paperwork and make it official. All you have to do is say yes.”

“Yes!” Max chokes out as he lurches forward, wrapping one arm around each of their necks and clinging to them tightly. “Yes, please!”

“You don’t have to take our names if you don’t want to, though.” Niall tells him, rubbing at Max’s back while he cries. “You can keep ‘Frost’, if you like. It won’t make you any less our son.”

“No.” Max says firmly, shaking his head against Niall’s shoulder. “I want to be a Horan too.”

“We’d be lucky to add you.” Harry says with a kiss to Max’s forehead.

“And we will, the day after tomorrow.” Niall adds. “Once the courts are back open, we’ll file.”

“Can I call you guys ‘dad’ and ‘papa’ before then?” Max asks, pulling back to look at them.

“Of course.” Niall says with a soft smile. “If you’re comfortable with that.”

“I am.” Max nods. “Thanks, dad.”

“Love you, buddy.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to Max’s cheek. “Go add your stocking to the mantle, yeah? Doesn’t look right, quite yet. Needs yours up there with everyone else’s.”

“I’ll go put these somewhere safe.” Harry says, plucking the paperwork off of the ground. “Then we’ll celebrate.”

“Why’s everyone so excited?” Erin asks, looking around the room.

“Maxie is going to be your big brother now.” Niall explains to her.

“Don’t be dumb, daddy.” Erin scoffs. “Maxie was already my big brother.”

“And you were already my little sister, princess.” Max hums, ruffling his hand through her fringe. “Go watch papa and make sure he keeps that paper safe, though. I need it if I’m going to officially be a Horan like you guys.”

“Yes, sir!” Erin says firmly, giving Max a funky little salute before she chases after Harry.

“Hey- Dad?” Max asks quietly once they’re alone.

“What’s up, bud?” Niall asks back.

“I want to be a part of the traditions.” Max says so quietly that Niall barely catches it.

“Good.” Niall grins. “There’s just one condition.”

“What?” Max asks nervously.

“You have to remember, every single day, that just because you aren’t our son by blood, that doesn’t mean that we love you any less.” Niall says softly, placing his hands on Max’s shoulders. “You have to know that we love you every bit as much as Erin. Erin loves you every bit as much as she loves us. You are our family. Nothing will ever change that. We love you, and you have to remember that every day, no matter if we’re cross with you, or you’re cross with us, we will always love you, because you are our son. Think you can do that?”

“Yeah.” Max nods, his bottom lip trembling. He leans forward and buries his face in Niall’s chest, whispering, “I love you too, dad.”

And, really, that’s the best Christmas present he’s ever gotten.


End file.
